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Phayao legend began with one lord titled Lord Sri Jomtham, son of Lord LaoHgern ruler of the Hiran Ngoenyang Kingdom. During the late reigning period of LaoHgern, he divided his kingdom to his two sons, Lord Sri Jomtham and his brother Lord Shin. Lord Shin became the new ruler of Hiran Ngoenyang while Sri Jomtham gathered an army and citizens to build a new territory. At the age of 25 Sri Jomtham brought his troops down to Chiang Man area. In the myth, Sri Jomtham found a deserted town at the end of the Mountain Range. He expanded it into a city to become his seat and the construction ended on 1094. He named his Kingdom PukamYao.

Sri Jomtham's dynasty ruled Pukamyao over 9 generations until the last Pukamyao King gave the throne to his son-in-law, Phaya Ngam Mueang. Ngam Mueang led his Kingdom to it greatest period and renamed it to Kingdom of Phayao.

History would later mention the Phayao kingdom when Mang Rai ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Ngoenyang in Muang Rao in 1261. Phayao was cited in the wider campaign of Mang Rai to consolidate Thai territories, which was driven by two factors: the neighboring kingdoms' slight to his authority; and, the scarcity of space and resources for the growing population of his subjects.[1] The kingdom expanded to the south and Phayao was eventually absorbed as Mang Rai founded the Lan Na Kingdom. This development did not immediately transpire with conquest. After invading, Muang Lai, Chiang Kham and Chiang Khong, Mang Rai concluded an alliance with other kingdoms and these included a pact with Phayao's King Ngam Muang and King Ram Khamhaeng of Sukhothai in 1287.[2] By 1338, the Phayao kingdom, which was not as powerful as the Lan Na and Sukhothai, was finally annexed into the former.[3]